Time Cannot Erase
by Cattitude
Summary: What if Kenshin didn't die under the cherry tree? What if Kaoru did? How would Kenshin handle it?
1. Chapter 1

Author:Silent Tears of Agony

Title:Time Cannot Erase

Rating:PG

Chap:1

I think this is my favorite of all of my fics. (At least the idea of it is). So I am going to try to work really hard on it. Don't expect fast updates. Also if you could please leave reviews to let me know how I'm doing? Thanks!

Disclaimer: Sadly the only Kenshin I own is a handful of manga, some dvd's, and the uber-cool wall scroll my cousin got me. This story is based on "My Immortal" by Evanescence.

Many thanks to **Night Imp **and **Pinay Tiger **for beta-reading. :)

---------------------------

_I'm so tired of being here_

Kenshin looked at the ring in his hand as if it held the answers to all the questions of the universe. But right now he would settle for an answer to just one question. Would Kaoru say yes? Would she say no? Would she laugh at him? Turn him out? Would she even like the ring? Kenshin sighed. Did he even have a right to ask her to marry him? He raked a hand through his hair. All right so there was more than one question. But they were all so important.

"You gonna buy that ring son? I have other rings that might interest you." It was a simple ring; only a thin gold band with a single sapphire set in it. Yet he knew it would look beautiful on Kaoru's finger. Kenshin glanced up at the merchant, then returned his gaze to the item in his hand. He looked hard at the ring, his heart pumping madly. This was it. It was now or never. No, wait. This was only the first step. He still had to ask Kaoru if she would even consider marrying him.

"I'm sorry but if you don't buy something soon, I'm going to have to ask you to make room for paying customers."

Kenshin swallowed. Why did things have to be so difficult?

"I'll buy it."

Kenshin's voice came out surprisingly steady. It didn't waver or squeak like he'd feared it would.

The man went through the ritual of congratulating him on his great buy and wishing him luck with his lady. Kenshin had a feeling what he needed more than luck was a new set of nerves.

Or maybe a good strong drink.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Kaoru absently stirred the liquid in the pot. Kenshin had been acting so strange lately. He would take off for hours and wouldn't tell her where he was going, insisting that he would be alright. Then when he was home it was like he purposely tried to avoid her. She sighed. She hoped he wasn't planning on leaving her again. If he did, she knew she would just die. She felt a few tears prick at her eyes.

She really couldn't blame him if he did decide to leave. He was the one who always did the cleaning and the cooking. She couldn't cook to save her life. She had no students, half the time she couldn't even get Yahiko to cooperate with her. Some teacher she was. And she usually dressed as a man.

Maybe Yahiko was right. She really was ugly. An ugly, silly girl who was too old to get married. Why should Kenshin want to stay with her? Why should any man? The fact that she had never had any previous suitors only confirmed her fears. She was so lost in her thoughts that she forgot about the pot until its contents boiled over. With a cry she removed it from the stove. She might as well add that to her list while she was at it. She couldn't even heat up a simple pot of soup.

"Tadaima."

Kaoru froze. Great now he was going to see the huge mess she made and think she was incompetent. She wished the ground would just swallow her up. Tears started to come into her eyes again but she fought them back. If she cried now, Kenshin might think she really was a little girl, crying over burnt food. She chided herself. Kenshin was sensitive. He wouldn't think that. Or at least he wouldn't say it.

"Kaoru-dono?"

Kaoru looked up to see Kenshin standing in the doorway, a confused look on his face.

"O-okaeri Kenshin." Kaoru squeaked out.

Kenshin tried to keep the smile on his face. The mess in the kitchen would take him _hours_ to clean up. He heaved a mental sigh. Kaoru was a wonderful woman, and he loved her dearly. But he really did wish she would leave the cooking to him. It would make life a little bit easier.

"I-I'll get this cleaned up."

"I'll take care of it Kaoru-dono."

"No Kenshin! I want to do it. You shouldn't always have to do all the work around here." She gave him a trembling smile and shook her head when he started to protest again.

"Besides, Yahiko thinks I can't do housework and I want to prove him wrong." Her eyes twinkled as she smiled at him.

Kenshin smiled back at her. So that was why she was so adamant. Kaoru never could resist a challenge.

"Kenshin," Kaoru hesitantly started as they prepared to clean, "where did you go this afternoon?"

Kenshin looked up at her anxiously, afraid that she might suspect something. But as he searched her face he saw no trace of suspicion, only worry. "Sessha had to get something important from town, that I did."

"Oh." Kaoru's face brightened, relieved that he wasn't leaving her again, or meeting another woman (another prospect her overactive brain had considered).

"Next time let me know if you're going to be gone a long time," she wagged a finger at him. "I was worried about you."

"Sessha is sorry for making you worry, Kaoru-dono."

"Just don't do it again, okay?"

Kenshin couldn't help but return her smile, it was so infectious. "Sessha promises."

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hey busu, where's Kenshin?" Kaoru hit Yahiko over the head.

"I am not ugly! And I don't know where he is. He just said he needed to do some thinking."

"He's probably meeting his secret lover, and I bet she's _way_ prettier than you are." Yahiko taunted. Unfortunately, he had just voiced Kaoru's secret fear, so of course he had to suffer her wrath.

Kaoru's eyes danced with fury and unfounded jealousy. "Brat! You'll do 500 practice swings today!"

"What for!" Yahiko squawked.

"You need to learn to respect your sensei, now get to it! Or do I need to make it 1,000?"

Yahiko's jaw clenched as he swung his bokken with extra force. Kaoru opted to ignore his muttered exclamations of "busu," "hag," and other names in between his swings. Instead she turned to look out the door of the practice hall with troubled eyes.

"Kenshin . . . "

-.-.-.-.-.-

Kenshin leaned back against the rough bark of the old cherry tree, twirling the ring between his fingers. The anniversary of his meeting Kaoru was coming up. He had been planning to ask her then to marry him. But maybe she would prefer it if he asked her on her birthday? Or better yet, Tanabata, so he could make up for last year!

'You're just stalling. It would be better to ask her sooner and you know it.' Kenshin shook his head. All of this thinking was giving him a headache.

He leaned his head back to rest against the tree, absently noting the rain clouds growing. It reminded him of when he and Misao had been caught in a rain storm on the way to fight Shishio. What if he was asked to leave Kaoru again? Would he leave her if they were married? What if he was asked right now, before they were married? What would that do to her? He already knew what it would do to him. Leaving her behind had felt like he was leaving a piece of himself behind. Kenshin rubbed his temples. He really _was _getting a headache from all of this thinking. And sitting here wasn't getting anything done. Heaving one last sigh he got up and headed back home.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Kenshin. Buddy. Just the person I was looking for." Kenshin nearly pitched forward as Sano heartily thumped him on the back.

"I can't give you any money today Sano."

"But I really need it this time Kenshin. I'm leaving Japan." Kenshin looked at him suspiciously. Sano had come up with some fairly wild tales to get money out of him before.

"And what brought this on?" Sano pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.

"The police have a warrant for my arrest. They want to arrest me for what happened in Shinshu."

Kenshin was shocked into silence as he took the wanted poster from Sano's hands. That the young man would be called to account for his past deeds hadn't really occurred to Kenshin.

"So how 'bout it Kenshin? I only need a little bit, I don't care where I go so long as it's out of Japan." Kenshin sighed.

"Sessha does have some money." 'I was only saving it for my wedding.'

-.-.-.-.-

"I really appreciate you doing this for me." Sano leaned against the doorway as Kenshin retrieved his money. Kenshin nodded his head.

"It's not much, but it should get you out of here." As Kenshin reached out to hand Sano the money, a small object fell from his sleeve, flashing as it caught the light. Sano bent to pick up the item, his lips quirking into an amused smile as he recognized it for what it was.

"I hope you didn't get this ring out of another catfish." Kenshin blushed in humiliation.

"Sessha isn't _that_ dense Sano. I worked to buy that ring." Sano looked at the money in Kenshin's hand then back at the ring.

"You were saving this money for your wedding weren't you?" Kenshin had often believed Sano was more perceptive than people gave him credit for. This was just another example.

"It's okay Sano." Sano shook his head.

"I can't take this. It wouldn't be right." Kenshin put the money in Sano's hand.

"Sano for once you actually need it. Besides, I don't even know if Kaoru-dono will even say yes." Sano thrust the money back toward Kenshin.

"Believe me, she'll say yes."

"I'm glad for your confidence. But even if she does, I can always save more. You need this now" Kenshin shoved the money back at Sano.

"I'm _not _taking your money, Kenshin."

"I never thought I would hear you refuse money. Especially when its being offered to you." Sano and Kenshin looked over to see Kaoru standing in the hallway, her eyes sparkling in amusement. She walked over to place a calloused hand on Sano's forehead. "Well, you don't _feel _feverish."

Sano scowled and slapped her hand away. "Very funny jou-chan."

Kaoru giggled and looked at Kenshin. "Hmm, why are you forcing him to take the money anyway? He's probably just going to gamble with it." Kenshin shook his head.

"Sano is leaving Japan. That's why he needs the money." Kaoru's eyes skittered between the two men.

"You're joking right?" When Kenshin shook his head solemnly, the smile fell from Kaoru's face. "B-but you can't leave Sano." If he left then Kenshin might leave. Yahiko would probably leave after that. And then she would be all alone again.

"The police want to put me in jail for what happened in Shinshu." Sano pulled out the crumpled wanted poster and showed it to Kaoru.

"Maybe the sentence will be short."

"I'd rather not find out jou-chan. Besides, the world is a pretty big place and I've been wanting to see it. I suppose I won't get a better reason than this one."

"Have you told Megumi-san?"

"I'm going to do that after I leave here." Kaoru turned away, her shoulder set in a defeated slump.

"We're going to miss you." Sano shoved his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders.

"Me too."

-.-.-.-.-.-

Yahiko had remained surprisingly calm when he heard the news. He hadn't yelled or sulked. It was almost as if he was expecting it. Or maybe it was the maturity that came with growing up. Either way, everyone was grateful he took the news so well.

"Sano I packed some food for you. Make sure you don't eat it all at once." Kenshin's lips tilted into a teasing grin, but his eyes kept their usual polite blankness.

"I'll try." Sano swallowed the lump in his throat and gathered Kenshin in a bone-cushing hug. "I'm really going to miss you. You . . . are the first family I have had in a long time." Kenshin nodded his head in understanding. Stepping out of Sano's embrace, Kenshin smiled up at him.

"You take care of yourself." Sano nodded his head and looked over at Kaoru.

"Jou-chan, next time I see you I want to see you with redheaded kids." Kaoru's eyes slanted in anger and her face turned red.

"Sano," she growled. Sano smirked.

"Heh. You love me anyway." Kaoru found herself at the end of another one of Sano's powerful hugs.

"Yahiko," he laid a hand on the boy's shoulder, "it's been fun knowing you. Maybe the next time I see you, you'll be the second strongest in Japan. In the meantime you can stay at my place. Kenshin and Kaoru need their privacy and I guess you're getting to the point where you do too." As he slung his travel bag over his shoulder, Sano took one last long look around the dojo before he left.

The minute the dojo gate closed behind him, Kaoru fled to her room where her muffled sobs could be heard. Yahiko quietly stared at the gate, his cheeks stained with the tears that had escaped. "It's not going to be the same without him." Kenshin put a comforting hand on his shoulder, closing his eyes against his own tears.

"I know." They stood in miserable silence before Yahiko spoke again.

"Do you think the police would ever come after me for my past?"

"No. I don't think they're even aware of it."

"Well even if they did, I would stay here. I wouldn't abandon my family."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Kenshin was making a final check of the dojo when he saw Kaoru sitting on the porch. "Kaoru-dono, are you all right?" Kaoru looked up in surprise.

"Kenshin! You scared me." Kenshin sat down next to Kaoru.

"Sessha is sorry, but that still doesn't answer my question." Kaoru smiled.

"I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep." She wrapped her shawl a little tighter as the wind picked up. "It's a beautiful night but its awfully cold." Kenshin wrapped an arm around her, just to keep her warm, he assured himself.

"Perhaps you should go inside. Sessha wouldn't want you to catch a cold." Kaoru turned to look at him with a warm look in her eyes.

"You take such good care of me Kenshin."

"It's the least I can do in return for everything you've done for me." The spark in Kaoru's eyes died and she pulled out of his embrace. Kenshin scrambled to follow her as she walked away, confused with her sudden mood shift.

"Is something wrong Kaoru-dono?"

"No, the fresh air made me tired. I'm going to bed." Kenshin stepped in front of her and looked her in the eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked softly. Kaoru sighed.

"Yes Kenshin." As she turned to leave, something on the ground caught her eye. When she saw it was a ring, Kaoru looked at Kenshin with questioning eyes. Kenshin panicked. He hadn't meant for her to see it yet!

"Sessha . . . sessha can explain."

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This story starts between Jinchuu and Reflections (I can't spell the Japanese name. I'm sorry . ) It goes past Reflections. In fact it doesn't even really follow the path of Reflections. You'll see what I mean later.

Sooo...what did you think? I'll accept whatever bones you toss at me. Flames...rave reviews...constructive criticism...death threats. Anything to let me know you read my story.

Ja!


	2. Chapter 2

1Title: Time Cannot Erase

Chap: 2

I don't care as much for this chapter as I did the last one. I think it's not as emotion-filled, but hopefully the feel rings at least a little true to the original. :)

_Suppressed By All My Childish Fears_

-

Kenshin was saying something, but Kaoru wasn't listening to him. All she could concentrate on was how much the piece of metal in her hand looked like an engagement ring.

Kenshin's heart skipped again when he heard Kaoru say those words. He was beginning to wonder if the abused organ would ever beat again. "Yes, that's what it is."

His quiet words confirmed Kaoru's suspicions and the woman's shoulders dropped along with her heart. So he had been seeing another woman. After last year's fiasco her mind couldn't believe the ring was meant for her, no matter how badly her heart wanted to agree with that idea. "Who is she?"

Kenshin furrowed his brows in response to Kaoru's question. He thought it was odd she would want to know what vendor he bought the ring from. "It was a man actually. I'm not sure if you've met him. He's new here."

Kaoru screamed and dropped the ring. "A-a guy!" The shocked girl looked as if she was about to cry. "I lost to a guy?"

"Oro?" Kenshin looked at the young woman in confusion. "Kaoru-dono, sessha doesn't understand. What did you lose?"

"I'm talking about the man you bought that ring for!" Kaoru jabbed an accusing finger at the ring lying innocently on a porch board. Kenshin stared at it as he tried to process the young woman's frantic speech.

"The man I -" The redhead's eyes bulged as he squeaked out another "oro." "No, Kaoru-dono, you don't understand! Sessha bought this ring for you!" The words came out much easier than Kenshin expected they would. Then again, he found his words seemed to form more easily the few times he had blurted them out mindlessly.

Kaoru thought she might be hearing things. "You bought it for me?" Her voice was somewhere between giddy and disbelieving. "So that means you want to . . . to marry _me_?"

The anxiety Kenshin had been so worried about finally clogged his throat and he was able only to nod in response.

Stars formed in Kaoru's eyes as she leapt forward to embrace her love. "Oh Kenshin, of course I'll marry you!"

It took a few seconds for the words to register in Kenshin's brain. The stunned man returned her hug and grinned in elation. "May sessha put the ring on you?"

"Oh of course!" Kaoru stepped back so Kenshin could pick up the ring.

The redhead stared at his fiancee in indecision. Obviously, the ring was supposed to go on her finger, but which one?

"What's wrong?" Kaoru asked.

Kenshin scratched his head in embarrassment. "Sessha doesn't know where to put this."

"Is _that _all?" The dark-haired woman stuck out her left hand and pointed to her ring finger. "Right here."

Even though she already said yes, Kenshin's hand shook nervously as he put the ring on Kaoru. Seeing it on her finger made the man realize this situation was real, not some fantasy. This special woman in front of him had found him worthy of marrying her. The thoughtful man was interrupted from his reverie when the subject of his thoughts gathered him into another fierce hug.

"It's beautiful, Kenshin. I love it." Kaoru leaned back to look him in the eyes. "I love you," she announced shyly. Kaoru scowled after Kenshin failed to respond during what she felt was an appropriate length of time. "_Well_?" she asked tartly. "Aren't you going to tell me you love me?"

Kenshin picked up Kaoru's hand and wrapped his fingers around hers. "Sessha isn't very good at expressing his feelings," he admitted quietly. "However, sessha knows you make this unworthy one feel special and . . . complete." Kenshin smiled, more to himself than for Kaoru's benefit. "Love doesn't seem like a strong enough word to describe how I feel about you."

The smitten woman's lips parted in astonishment. "Kenshin . . . "

The redhead gave a half-smile, embarrassed by the effect his words had on Kaoru.

"Would you like to sit with sessha for a while, Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin offered with a genuine smile.

Kaoru brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face in an effort to regain her composure before answering with a smile of her own. "Yes, I would."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Good morning Yahiko!" Kaoru chirped as she breezed into the boy's room. "It's time to get up! The day is too beautiful to sleep it away!"

Yahiko rubbed his eyes and glanced out the window. "It's raining. I don't think I'll miss very much if I do sleep."

The boy's sensei grinned and patted him on the head. "I'm not going to let your attitude affect me today, Yahiko-chan! Now hurry up! Kenshin's almost finished with breakfast."

Yahiko stared after the cheerful young woman as she left his room. He was almost afraid of what other oddities he might encounter on the other side of his door. His stomach was complaining too loudly to allow him to stay in bed, however, and he hurried to change his clothes. Everything appeared to be normal when Yahiko made his way to the kitchen.

Kaoru was giving Kenshin a sickeningly sweet smile as the rurouni obliviously served up the food.

'Guess I was worried for nothing,' Yahiko thought as he sat down at the table.

"Good morning Yahiko!" Kenshin greeted the youth with his usual cheerful smile.

"Yahiko," Kaoru spoke up suddenly, "Kenshin and I have an announcement we'd like to make. We thought we should tell you first."

Yahiko looked up from his rice bowl to see the two adults sitting closer together than usual. "Is that why you were acting so weird earlier? You guys are together or something?"

"I wasn't acting weirdly!" Kaoru protested. "And you ruined the surprise!"

Kenshin gave one of his rare, genuine smiles as he cupped his hand around Kaoru's tense fist. "What Kaoru is trying to say is that we are going to be married."

Yahiko stared down at his bowl and mashed his rice with his chopsticks. "I'll guess I'll be moving into Sano's old place sooner than I thought."

"You don't have to do that!" Kaoru objected. "_Here _is your home!"

"You may stay as long as you wish." Kenshin assured the boy. "We don't want you to leave or stay because you feel you have to for our benefit."

Kaoru frowned. "Why would he want to leave?"

"We should eat now," Kenshin suggested in a firm tone.

Kaoru flicked her gaze between Yahiko and her fiancee in confusion. What was so wrong about wanting her pupil to stay where he belonged?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Kaoru sighed as her attention drifted to the stormy conditions outside the dojo. The young woman let out a cry when a dull object crashed into her shoulder. "Yahiko!" Kaoru glared at the perpetrator with hot eyes. "How dare you!"

Yahiko returned his sensei's fierce gaze. "You've been daydreaming the whole time we were supposed to be practicing! You'd never let _me _get away with that! During a spar a swordsman should let nothing distract him!"

Kaoru rubbed her throbbing shoulder and let out another sigh. "Your right," she admitted in a disappointed voice.

Yahiko bowed his head to cover his shock. He never thought his sensei would admit defeat so easily! "Of course I am," he smirked.

She frowned and cracked her bokken over her pupil's spiky head. "Watch your mouth!" Kaoru chastised him. "As your sensei, you should respect me!"

"As my sensei, I pity you," Yahiko retorted blandly.

Kaoru's face contorted with rage as she lunged for her tormenter.

"Too slow!" the boy taunted the older girl. "You need to go on a diet. You'll never catch me with all that weight your lugging around!"

Of course Kaoru retorted with some threatening comment and an increase in her speed. Even so, Kaoru was still having difficulty keeping up with her student. She doubted it was because of extra weight, her training kept her in excellent shape. No, it was because Yahiko had advanced so quickly in his training. She wished to teach him more, but his desire to become stronger had used all of her knowledge of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu.

Yahiko stopped running when he noticed Kaoru had done the same. "You're giving up already?" he asked in disbelief.

Kaoru made a motion with her hand indicating she wanted him to be serious. "Yahiko, do you really want to move out?"

The young boy shrugged carelessly. "So what if I did? Not much would change. I'd still train here. You'd still force me to eat your bad cooking. And Kenshin would still be, well, Kenshin!"

'I'm getting married!' Kaoru wanted to scream at her student. 'That's a big change!' She was even willing to admit it was a scary change. What if she changed too much trying to please Kenshin? What if she didn't change enough and he tired of her? What if she found out the person responsible for the loud snoring at night was actually her beloved redhead and not her bratty student? Could she spend the rest of her life with someone who snored?

'Now you're just being ridiculous!' the young woman scolded herself. 'Kenshin and I have been through too much to quibble over our petty flaws.' She found the argument only half-reassuring. Married couples argued over small things all the time, didn't they?

"Busu, if you're that hungry, why don't you get something out of the kitchen?"

Kaoru frowned in confusion and looked down to find she was chewing on her thumbnail. She blushed a little in embarrassment. The young sensei hadn't chewed on her nails since she was a little girl and her father had poured some vile liquid on her fingers.

"You are hungry Kaoru-dono? Then sessha came at the right time." A smiling Kenshin hurried in with a plateful of rice balls for everybody.

Kaoru wasn't really very hungry, but she took one to nibble on to avoid a further embarrassing situation. "I wonder when this rain will ever let up?"

Kenshin chuckled mentally. Out of his makeshift family, only he and Megumi enjoyed the rain. Everybody else was too active to appreciate it beyond a practical view. "Is Kaoru-dono anxious to tell the friends in town about our engagement?"

"Why shouldn't I be?" Kaoru huffed.

"No reason," the rurouni apologized. Part of him wanted to announce their happiness as much as she did. Another, more cautious part wanted to hide this new relationship lest another enemy found out and steal her away from him.

"The stupid rooster-head left too soon," Yahiko's voice was angry as he spoke. "He would have wanted to be here for your wedding."

"That's right," Kaoru's eyes turned misty. "It won't be the same without him."

"No, it won't," Kenshin agreed as he thought of his friend's parting comment to Kaoru. "However, I think Sano knew it would happen."

"Yeah, the birdbrain would just be gloating right now."

Kaoru slapped her student on the head. "Stop speaking so rudely, Yahiko-_chan_! Sano didn't want to leave! He had no choice."

"He should have stayed!" Yahiko yelled. "Then he wouldn't miss anything, and you would stop blubbering so much!"

"Oh, so you'd rather I _blubber _after he was killed?" Kaoru's face turned red with her anger. "Because _that's _what would have happened to him. At least now he's alive. We may even see him again someday, so he _wouldn't _miss everything!"

"Calm down, calm down." Kenshin set a hand on both of their shoulders. "Perhaps we should do something that doesn't make us think of Sano, right now."

"Like _what_?" Yahiko asked. "The guy practically lived here! He was everywhere! We can't even eat without thinking about him!"

His sensei snorted. "Especially not when we eat," she muttered.

Kenshin chuckled. "Yes, it felt strange this morning not to make more food just for Sano."

"The way Yahiko eats, you'll have to cook that way again soon!"

Yahiko rolled his eyes at Kaoru's taunt. "Why aren't you taking this seriously!"

"What happened to your sense of humor, eh, Yahiko-_chan_?"

Before their argument could escalate any further, a female voice interrupted them. "Am I interrupting anything?" Everyone turned to see Megumi standing in the doorway, her expression a little less guarded than usual. "I had hoped my last memory of you would be an improvement and here you are arguing like children. Not including you, of course, Ken-san."

Kaoru's hackles rose at the older woman's coy smile. "'Last memory'? Does that mean we'll finally be rid of your annoying presence?" the blue-eyed woman sneered.

Megumi shocked everyone with her next statement. "Yes, I plan to leave for Aizu tomorrow. Why else do you think I walked all this way in the rain?"

-

I wanted to reach at least the wedding in this chapter, but I dallied too long. Also, it will probably at least a year until I am able to update again. I think all of you who have been so patient with me. :)

_Note: _All RECOMMENDED FANFICS can be found at fanfiction . net, unless otherwise indicated.

**RECOMMENDED FANFIC: **A Son's Guilt by _charmed-sword_ The authoress has done a wonderful job with this story and it's characters. Kenshin is as I imagined him to be in the future. He still feels guilt and wants to atone, however, he is determined not to let his guilt affect his family and friends. Although Kenji doesn't conform to his personality in Seis Houen, I think it's a change for the better. The story starts off a little care-free, but I suspect the authoress did that to throw her readers off-guard for the sea of emotions that is to come. :)

_MY REVIEWERS: _I would like to thank _Desanity Rin, Miharu Kawashi, Quentin B. Caulfield, skenshingumi, Nicole (KK Reflection), Evening Lilacs, angelic-kuti, kitsune, animeinsomniac, scythe195, Sagitarious Devil, Scented Candles, SabellaPan, swimchick1614_

I would also like to thank _SabellaPan, Scented Candles, _for adding this story to their favorite list.


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